Ethanolic Root Extract of Jatropha curcas L. relieves Hyperalgesia in Arthritis Model in Rats.

This work evaluated the analgesic property of ethanolic extract of Jatropha curcas in arthritic/skeletal pain models.            

Acute skeletal hyperalgesia was induced in knee joints of rats with 3% carrageenan-kaolin mixture. Twelve hours later, the rats were grouped and treated orally with 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg Jatropha curcas or morphine (1, 3 and 10 mg/kg). Pain thresholds were measured by knee compression in the ipsilateral limb. In a separate experiment to determine the effect of ethanolic root extract of Jatropha curcas (30-300 mg/kg, p.o.) and morphine (1-3 mg/kg, p.o.) on chronic skeletal hyperalgesia, the extracts and morphine treatments were administered 2 weeks after the induction of the pain with 3% carrageenan-kaolin mixture. The effects of Jatropha curcas on chronic skeletal hyperalgesia in both the ipsilateral and contralateral paws was assessed in the Randall-Selitto test.

Jatropha curcas (P<0.05) and morphine (P<0.05) significantly reduced acute knee hyperalgesia in the ipsilateral limb. Chronic skeletal hyperalgesia was dose-dependently inhibited by the extract of J. curcas and the standard drug morphine in the ipsilateral and contralateral paws.    

Ethanolic root extract of Jatropha curcas relieves skeletal pain in rats.

Hyperalgesia; Jatropha curcas; kaolin; carrageenan